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Friday, February 20, 2015

Blurb:A new novel in the Thoughtless series from #1 New York Times bestselling author S. C. Stephens!

Every story has two sides, and in this new book, the epic love story between Kiera and Kellan is shown through his eyes.

All Kellan Kyle needs is his guitar, and some clean sheets of paper. Growing up in a house that was far from a home, he learned a hard lesson: You're worthless. Now his life is comfortably filled with passionate music, loyal band mates, and fast women...until he meets her.

Kiera makes him ache for more. Makes him feel for the first time that he's worth more. But there's one problem - she's his best friend's girl.

Just when Kellan thought his emotional defenses were rock solid, Kiera's indecisive heart wreaks havoc on his soul, changing him forever. Losing Kiera is not an option.

Releases: February 24, 2015

Click to Buy the Thoughtless Series on Amazon:

Interview with S.C. Stephens:Would the 10 year-old version of yourself kick your butt or praise you for what you've accomplished in life?

A little of both, I think. But mostly praise. I’ve accomplished more than I ever imagined I would, and no matter what happens from here on out, I’m very proud of what I’ve done.

What’s next for you and the series?

Griffin’s book is coming out later this fall, and then I’m taking a break from the D-Bags crew. I’m not sure how long of a break that will be, since they always seem to draw me back in, but I do have new, really fun projects I’m working on.

If Kellan and Kiera’s relationship had a theme song, what would it be?

There are so many good ones, but I always find myself going back to I Can’t Not Love You by Every Avenue. Do you have any favorite book boyfriends of your own?

Edward Cullen will always be my favorite book boyfriend. Sigh. I love him.

Tell us about your writing process. Do you start with an idea or a character?

I usually start with an idea, and the characters spring to life from there. Do you know what’s going to happen from the beginning or do you figure it out as you write? I typically have a general idea of where I want the story to end up, but things come to me as I’m writing, so the story often changes.

About the Author:

S.C. Stephens is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who enjoys spending every free moment she has creating stories that are packed with emotion and heavy on romance.

Her debut novel, Thoughtless, an angst-filled love triangle charged with insurmountable passion and the unforgettable Kellan Kyle, took the literary world by storm. Amazed and surprised by the response to the release of Thoughtless in 2009, more stories were quick to follow. Stephens has been writing nonstop ever since.

In addition to writing, Stephens enjoys spending lazy afternoons in the sun reading fabulous novels, loading up her iPod with writer's block reducing music, heading out to the movies, and spending quality time with her friends and family. She currently resides in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her two equally beautiful children.

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Review by Michelle:

I have been waiting for Thoughtful by S.C. Stephens for years. After reading each and every enticing extra scene told from Kellan's point of view that has been revealed sporadically since the release of one of my very favorite books of all time, Thoughtless, I have spent hours upon hours hoping, praying, and waiting for the opportunity to experience Kellan's side of the story. Pinch me, I must be dreaming, my wish has come true and the time has finally come. Thoughtful is everything I hoped it would be; sweet, sexy, agonizing, moving, passionate, and completely riveting. It is exactly what an alternate point of view novel should be, the perfect balance of each pivotal scene retold from a different perspective without so much repetition that you feel as if you are rereading the original and brand new material that captivates and, if at all possible, enamors you even further than before.

I have heard many speak of their dislike of alternate point of view books and I would have to agree if not done just right. If an author really knows what they are doing, though, this change in perspective could be the shift in an entire story. S.C. Stephens definitely knows what she is doing. Thoughtful is such a perfect blend of well known and new information that it really is like experiencing the story for the first time all over again. While original stories are often favored and the alternate point of view sequels are frequently merely considered a nice bonus, Thoughtful makes it hard to choose which version of this story is actually preferred.

Like a really great adaptation of an old fairytale or the reiteration of a well known saga, an alternate point of view can feel like an entirely different story when all's said and done if the pieces are put together just right, there is not as much overlap or retelling as there is new material, and this new perspective is just as compelling and enthralling as the last. You may already know the story, but each new take is a completely different experience. S.C. Stephens is a skilled story teller whose talents do not end with just one perspective. The revisiting of the much beloved story of Kellan and Kiera from Thoughtless is woven within Kellan's background, his interaction with his band and fans, and his turbulent emotional state so expertly it is easy to forget Kiera's perspective altogether and fall in love with Kellan and his story once again.

While we may have all fallen desperately in love with Kellan while reading Thoughtless, there is no denying that on more than one occasion he was not the nicest, most romantic, or even the most considerate or compassionate . In fact he could actually be quite mean, spiteful, and harsh. Seeing this side of Kellan from his perspective, knowing exactly what he was thinking and feeling every step of the way, helped tremendously to explain his hot and cold behavior, the push and pull towards and away from Kiera, and the anger, resentment, and desperation that manifested in him lashing out more than a few times. I think you would be hard pressed to find a fan of the first book who did not sympathize with Kellan and the back and forth that he endured all in the name of love, but the way in which he went about hurting Kiera made it a bit more difficult to feel too bad for him. Experiencing his continual and repeated heartbreak certainly went a long way in explaining his actions and aided in illustrating that while Kiera may have been distraught and confused with the situation, Kellan was being tortured by the constant uncertainly and indecision and acted out in the only way he knew how in order to retaliate and even to attempt to move on.

Emotions run rampant as we not only read Kellan's perspective on his tumultuous and often tortuous relationship with Kiera, but we also get some painful and disturbing glimpses into Kellan's tragic and distressing past. We may all know Kellan's back story, but actually experiencing it through his eyes was shocking, appalling, and downright devastating. The light shed on his history in Thoughtless was more than enough background to understand where he was coming from, to clarify the motivation for his actions, and to endear him to us, but this added insight into his pain, his suffering, and his torment was excruciating and more than a little tear jerking.

As with each book in this series, you definitely get your money's worth with 500+ glorious pages of roiling emotion, turmoil, unbelievable highs and seemingly insurmountable lows, yet Thoughtful ended much too soon for my liking. Despite savoring every word of every page of this book, I never wanted this narrative to end and sadly, like all good things, it eventually had to come to an end at some point. Now here I am stuck with a monstrous book hangover and a dilemma that all book lovers can relate to, feeling ecstatic about finally getting the chance to read such a highly anticipated and wonderful book and wishing I had never started in the first place so that I could experience it all again for the first time.

From the moment I read Thoughtless and ever since, through hundreds of books with hundreds of swoon worthy and incredible leading men, Kellan Kyle has always been my number one, the fictional character I would seriously consider leaving my own husband for and the stuff that romantic legends are made of. I never thought it possible, but I fallen even harder Mr. Kyle and now that I know Kellan inside and out, I'm pretty sure he has ruined me for all other men. S.C. Stephens has created yet another masterpiece.

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